CDL holders have an additional 90 days to comply with federal requirement

BOSTON – Friday, January 24, 2014 – Today, the MassDOT Registry of Motor Vehicles announced it is extending the January 30 deadline for Commercial Drivers License (CDL) holders to meet the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s requirement that CDL & Commercial Permit holders provide their licensing jurisdiction with their self-certification information and a copy of the US DOT Medical Certificate. The deadline has been extended by 90 days to April 30, 2014.

“I understand that a CDL is a professional license and our CDL drivers depend on the license for their livelihood,” said Registrar Rachel Kaprielian. “This extension will allow for an orderly completion of the federal requirement and will not unduly burden our drivers.”

As of mid-January, approximately 100,000 of the 145,000 CDL holders in Massachusetts had self-certified. More than 13,000 completed their self-certification online at MassRMV.com. CDL holders are encouraged to complete this process online as soon as possible.

This requirement is the result of a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rule intended to improve highway safety by insuring that only medically qualified drivers are operating on our highways. The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles began accepting driver self certifications and copies of US DOT Medical Certificates in August 2012.

The Registry of Motor Vehicles has made compliance with this rule easy for drivers from the convenience of their home computer. Visit our web site, www.MassRMV.com; select ‘Online Services’. Scroll down to ‘Other’. Select Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Self-Certification. If a driver is providing the Registry with a US DOT Medical Certificate, they must have a copy scanned to their computer as a JPG or PDF file before beginning the transaction. The customer will be asked to upload to the Registry the US DOT Medical Certificate within the transaction.

Additionally, drivers are encouraged to check the status of their self-certification at MassRMV.com. For a driver to verify their license status including self certification, visit our web site, www.MassRMV.com; select ‘Online Services’. Scroll down to ‘Check My Status’. Select ‘License Permit Status’. Enter the authentication information requested, and they will be able to see their license status and their current self-certification status.

Failure to complete driver self-certification by April 30, 2014, or failure to re-certify by the self-certification expiration date thereafter, will result in the downgrade of the driver’s CDL to a Class D License.

Drivers are advised that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announcement of January 10, 2014 only extends the date that drivers must carry a physical copy of their US DOT Medical Certificate with them for an additional year, until January 30, 2015.

In 2009, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) was created to unify the state’s various transportation agencies. MassDOT now includes the Highway Division, the MBTA and Rail Transit Division, the Aeronautics Division, and the Registry of Motor Vehicles. MassDOT is committed to providing a safe and reliable transportation system to all those who travel in the Commonwealth and works to deliver excellent customer service. MassDOT has been nationally recognized for its innovative approach to transportation, including the Accelerated Bridge Program, the “Where’s My Bus and Train?” apps and “Fast 14” work. For more information, visit MassDOT at our website: www.mass.gov/massdot blog: http://blog.mass.gov/transportation/, or follow MassDOT on twitter at https://twitter.com/MassDOT and Facebook at www.facebook.com/massdotinfo.